We have been remodeling our home, and decided we did not have room for a dishwasher. We are downsizing and really, it is a rather tiny kitchen! So, we decided to do without that appliance that takes up lots of room, uses lots of kilowatts and water, puts out heat when it dries, and most importantly, robs us of our time with each other or robs us of time in contemplation for ourselves.
What I remember about dish washing as child, was that it was an extension of the meal! The fellowship around the kitchen table, was not over when you finished eating! That fellowship continued around the dish washing ritual. It was a time when all the women got to talk about the things THEY wanted to talk about but not with the "men folk" around. Perhaps the latest gossip, or some important and very secret thing their husbands were working on at the job, or what so-and-so had on at church that day, or how their son was acting up. It was also a time for our family to be with each other individually. In our family, my mother worked, so my dad would pitch in and stand with his feet spread out (so he wouldn't have to bend over so much) in front of the sink washing the dishes that we all cleaned off the table. He would use scalding hot water as well, which I remember often making the mistake of putting my hand in his water. Wow! It burned like hell!! Then one of us would dry. Or, it would be my brother and I who did the washing and drying, always with a squabble about WHO would do WHAT! Always with the "dryer" handing back the "not-good-enough" plate or fork, to the "dishwasher" to be done over. And of course, there was always the ruckus that took place when the "dryer" was almost done, and with the thin white cotton towel at just the right consistency ....the dryer would do his/her "windup" behind the back of the "dishwasher" and then BAM!!!! The game was on!!! The proverbial flipping-of-the-dishwasher-game had begun!!! And oh the fun that ensued!!! That, in itself, is a lost art as well.....flipping towels. There is no more perfect towel than the one described above, for this game. Do they even MAKE those kind anymore?!! There were also conversations about your day, your thoughts, your dreams, your questions about life.....so MUCH enveloped this dish washing ritual back in the old days. We have gotten so instant in our living , in our loving , in our thinking and doing, that some of the good things about the old days have become lost arts. Like dish washing. Well, in my house, it is back, and we both love it! It is simple. It is free. It is freeing. You can actually get to know a little bit more about the person you live with, or the people you have over. It is a time for intimate conversation... for perhaps asking those questions that no one seems to have time for anymore. If you do the dishes alone, it is also a GREAT time of reflection on your day, or your life, to just be still or to simply dream. It is especially great, though if there just so happens to be someone around that you can flip with that beautiful white cotton towel!!!!!! Try it... you'll like it!!
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